Machine for cutting strips of cloth



H. BROWN. MACHINE FOR CUTTING STRIPS OF CLOTH.

APPLICATION FILED IuLYIs, Isls.

1,342,621 PatentedJune 8, 1920.

H. BROWN. MACHINE FOR CUTTING STRIPS 0F CLOTH.

` APPLICATION FILED JULYI5, 1919. 1,342,621 Patented June.8, 1920.

3 SHILEIS-SHEET 3.

J. orne..

III.II

Cil

narran STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD BROWN, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO REYNOLDS ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING STRIPS F CLOTH.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD BROWN, a citizen of the United States and a resident of Moline, in the county of Rock Island and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Cutting Strips of Cloth, &c., of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to machines for cutting strips into comparatively short prede termined lengths, and while the machine is primarily designed for use in the cutting of cloth strips into short lengths for tailors use, it may be advantageously employed for so cutting strips of other materials intended for other uses. In the machine shown embodying my improvements the means employed for intermittently forwarding the material to the cutting mechanism comprises a swinging or oscillating segmental feed member with which cooperates a roller that during the operative stroke of said segmental member is forced toward such member so that the material operated upon is grippedbetween those parts and upon the return stroke of the segmental member is raised out of contact with the material, and while the roller is so raised a clamping member will be held against the material so that it will not be disturbed. Broadly, suoli construction and arrangement of parts is not new with me, but it is the object of my invention to provide improved means for 0perating said parts; also, it is an object of the invention to provide improved means for carrying the said roller and clamping device so that one must rise as the other descends with no liability of any lack of coordination between them, also, to provide improved means for insuring the proper positioning of the fixed blade with respect to the movable cutter,and to improve generally the construction and operation of machines of this general character. These objects I attain by the parts and combinations of parts shown in the drawings and herein- Iafter particularly described. `What I believe to be new will be set forth in the claims.

In the drawings,- Figure 1 is a plan view machine;

2 is a side elevation'of the machine; Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical Ysection 'taken at line 3 3 of Fig. l,

of my improved Specification of Letters Patent.

AppIcaton filed. July 15, 1919.

Patented June 8, 1920.

Serial No. 310,973.

Fig. 4 is a view partly in front elevation and partly in vertical cross-section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. is a sectional detail of the clutching mechanism for throwing the machine into and out of operative position, the section being taken at line 5 5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a detail, being a section taken at line (S-G of Fig. Ll and illustrating the means by which the extent of movement of the segmental feed device may be varied; and

Fig. 7 is a detail, partly in section and partly in side elevation and illustrating the spring arrangement at one end of the fixed -cutter or blade by which such cutter or blade is held pressed toward the movable knife preparatory to securing it in place.

Referring to the several figures of the drawings,10 indicates the base-plate of the machine from which rises a housing that supports the operative parts, the side walls of such housing being indicated by 11, the rear wall thereof being indicated by 12, and the top wall by 13. rThe side walls, the rear wall and the top wall may well be formed integral, as indicated in the drawings. In the top wall is left a comparatively large opening 14; through which projects a segmental feed device hereinafter described. In the 'construction shown the front of the housing is left open except at the lower portion where it is provided with a removable cover piece 15 that acts as a guard over some of the gearing. 16 indicates the main drive shaft of the machine suitably journaled in bearings carried by the side walls 11 of the housing and provided on a projecting end with any suitable means by which the shaft may be driven by power. As shown, a stepped pulley 17 is affixed to such end of the shaft. Loosely mounted on the shaft 16 is pinion 18, around one end of the extended hub of which is a split friction band 19 carried by clutch arms 2O that are pivotally mounted at 21 upon a collar 22 that is made fast in any suitable manner to the shaft 16. 23 indicates the sliding member of the clutch, which isengaged in the usual manner by the bifurcated end of a comparatively long hand lever 24 that is pivotedat the upper end of a post 25 and projects as shown through a slot in the rear wall 1Q of the housing. rIhis sliding member 23 of the clutch is adapted to be forced under the pivoted arms 2O and thereby rock such arms so as to force and tightly hold the split ring 19 against the hub of the pinion 18 so as to cause such pinion to rotate with the shaft. As shown in Fig. 5, the pivoted arms 2() are provided with screws 2G. havin@ lock nuts 26a, the inner ends of which screws bear against the movable clutch member 23 and by the adjustment of Vwhich the extent of turning of the pivoted arms 20 may be regulated.

27 indicates a counter-shaft journaledl in one of the side walls 11 and also in a bear ing furnished by a short post 28 that rises from thejbase 10 (see Fig. 4). Upon this counter-shaft 27 is affixed so as to rotate therewith a gear 29 that is in mesh with and driven by the pinion 18, such gear, in the construction shown, lyingat one side of the shaft-supporting post 28. At the opposite side of such post the shaft is provided with an eccentric member 30 upon which is mounted an eccentric strap 31 that carries a pitman 32, the end portions of said pitman, in the construction shown, being provided with right and left hand screw-threads, respectively, one of which screw-threaded end portions connects with a suitable socket in the strap 31, and the other end of which is screw-threaded into a socket 33 that is pivoted upon the pin 34 carried in ears 35 that are formed with and depend from the lower cross-bar of a frame 36 that is movable up and down in vertical guides 37 affixed to the front edge portions of the side walls 11 of the housing, and to the upper cross-bar of which frame is suitably secured a cutting knife 38, the inner face of which, as shown,lies flush with the/inner face of the frame 36 that carries it. The lower or cutting edge portion ofsuch knife 38 is preferably inclined so that the knife may give a shearing cut, as usual. Connecting the knife-carrying frame 36 with the eccentric strap 31 by means of the screw-threaded pitman 32 enables the said knife-frame to be very exactly adjusted to time the cutting operation, as required.

The eccentric member 30 is, in the construction shown, formed integral with the counter-shaft 27, and on the inner end portion of such counter-shaft is a long block 39, which, as here shown, is also integral with the counter-shaft. This block extends at right angles to the axis of the counter-shaft, and extending from near one end to and through the otherend of the block is an opening 4() in which is slidably mounted the head of a pin 41, the stem of which projects, -as best `shown in Fig. 6, through a slot in the side face of the block. 42 indicates a link the lower end of which is rotatably mounted vupon the pin 41 and held thereon by a nut of the block. The upper end of the link is f and through a screw-threaded opening in the head of the pin.- Y y,

Thesegmental feed member hereinbefore referred to is indicated by 46, and,as shown (seev Fig. 4), it has formed with it and ex tending from its innerface a pair of arms 47 that at their inner ends are connected by a sleeve 48 that is journaled upon a crossshaft 49 ixedly secured in the sidewalls 11 of the housing. j On one of the arms 47 and just abovethe sleeve 48-is a short Yforwardly-projecting arm 50 in which is journaled a pin 51 upon whichV is loosely mounted thev upper end of the link 42, such link being retainedon the pin 51 by being located between the head of such pin and the side of the short arm 50, as shown in Fig. 4, andthe pin 50 being held in place by a cotter pin, as shown, or otherwise. By the construction described, it will be obvious that the rotation of the counter-shaft 27 will, through the link 42, cause an oscillation of the segmental feed member, and that the extent of such oscillation can be regulated. by adjusting the crank pin 41 in the opening 40 of the block 39.

Turning now to the means that coperate with the segmental feedmember during the time that said feed member isbeing operated, 52 indicates aroller, preferably rubber covered, and having an axle 53, the ends of which are journaled inthe sides of a frame 54 that is locatednear the-forward end of machine andextending across the forward portion of the large opening 14 in the upper wall of the housing. At each side of the frame 54 projectsa stud 55 which studs re-V spectively project into and are movable up and down in vertical slots formed in blocks 56-the blocks, in the construction shown, being secured by Vscrews 57 that are screwed into thickened portions of the side walls 11. As best shownin Fig. 1, Vthe roller-frame has a cross-bar 58 at its frontportion, such cross-bar lying at some little distance in advance of the studs 55, and such cross-bar, during the non-forwarding of the strips of material through the machine, is adapted to be held forced downagainst the material and hold such material tightly against a member 59, which member 59 is a steel cross-bar extending.transverselyY of the machine and lying closely against the'innerV face of the knife-frame 36 .so as to constitute a fixed blade that will cooperate with the knife 38 for severing the-strips of material. The roller-frame 54 has at each of its ends rearwardly extending lugs through each of which passes a contact device against which pressure will be exerted by means hereinafter described to rock the roller-frame forward to cause a clamping of the material between the members 58 and 59, as just mentioned. The contact devices passing through the lugs are, in the construction shown, in the form of screws 6l, such screws being held in the desired position by nuts 62. The roller-frame 54 is normally held rocked rearwardly by two coiled springs 63, one at each side of said frame, each spring being secured at its upper end to the lower edge of Athe frame and at its other end to the inner face of the adjacent wall member ll of the housing.

The means for raising and rocking the roller-frame comprise, in the construction shown, a bent arm 64 that is loosely joui'- naled at one end upon the fixed shaft 49 that supports the segmental feed memberthe arm 64 being connected with such shaft adjacent to one of the side walls of the housing. The free end of this arm 64 is bifurcated, as best shown in Fig. 4, and revolubly mounted therein is a roller 65 that lies in the path of, and is acted upon by, a cam 66 fast upon the counter-shaft 27. Back of the roller 65 there is attached to the bent arm the lower end of a rod 67. This lower end may be attached by pivoting it to the arm, but I have found that it is sufiicient to merely make a recess in the upper face of the arm in which the lower end of the rod can rest*the recess being large enough to permit of a rocking movement of the rod therein. 68 indicates one of a pair of bars each lying alongside of the upper portion of one of the side walls ll-the two bars being connected together by a transverse web 69. The frame thus formed by the two bars 68 and the web 69 is pivoted in place by a rod 7 O extending across between the side walls ll. The forward end of each bar is upturned and enlarged to form a head 71, and each of these heads constitutes the means that intermittently Contact with the screws 61 carried by the roller-frame 54. The rocking of this frame that comprises the two arms 68 is effected through the operation of the rod 67, which last-named rod is, in the construction shown, adjustably secured to a short sleeve 72 that is pivoted at 73 to the forward end of one of said bars 68.

l have called attention to the fact that the cross-bar 59 constitutes the fixed blade `with which the knife 38 coperates in cut- Contact with and parallel with the inner faces of the knife-frame 36 I have formed in the rear edge of the fixed blade and near each of its ends a socket (see Fig. 7), in which is located a short coiled spring 74 70 that by bearing against the face of the adjacent block 56 will hold the blade at both ends moved forward toward the knife frame. It is held firmly in the desired position by screws 7 5 which pass through slots 75a, as shown in Fig. l. Vith this construction the coiled springs will insure against the blade being disturbed from proper position while the screws 7 are being set in place. Owing to the fact that the screws pass through slots instead of through two holes in exact registry such disturbance of position might readily take place if these springs were not present. The slots are provided so as to allow for wear caused by operation of the machine and the occasional sharpening that will be given t-o the edge of the fixed blade.

76 indicates a central guide bar and 7 7-77 guide bars lying at opposite sides of and parallel with the central `guide bar 76. Each guide bar is enlarged at its rear end to form a depending head (see F ig. 3) that fits over a cross-bar 77 and is adjust-ably held in position by a set screw 78 that impinges against the cross-bar. Both faces of the central guide bar will be preferably somewhat curved, and the inner face of each of the guide bars 77 will be correspondingly curved so as to better permit the smooth movement of strips of material between them. As shown in Fig. 3, the guide bars extend for a considerable distance beyond the rear edge of the opening so as to overlie for a portion of their length. the oscillating segmental feed member 46, the lower edges of the guides being preferably curvd to correspond to the curvature of the member 46. 79 indicates a light rod secured in the upper margnal portions of the side walls .ll of the hou and extending across the guides 'I6-77 m the rear ends of such guides, the guides being slotted, as shown in Fig. l,to receive this rod. The strips of material that are to be operated upon pass under this rod and are prevented by it from rising up under some circumstances and riding over the edges of the guit .in the drawim strips of material are shown as pas through the machine, such strips each bei indicated by the letter c and said c* are shown as nass" from justably supported in rear of would be laterally adjusted with relation to eachother to accommodate between them the single strip. The adjustment of the guides toward and from each other also lends itself, as will be readily understood, to a proper guiding of strips regardless of their width.

80 indicates a register adapted to indicate the number of cutting operations that the machine performs, and, as shown, it is connected up to the vertically reciprocating knife frame 36 through means of levers -81 and 82, the latter of which is connected to a bar 83 extending out from the upper portion of the knife-frame 86, but as such register forms no part of my invention and may be of any ordinary construction, 1 have not illustrated it other than merely to show its casing.

11i operation, with one or more strips of material passing over the top of the machine and properlyk directed by the longitudinal guides 76-77 suoli material will be caught between the roller 52 and the curved surface of the feed member 46, and as such feed member is swung or oscillated in a forward direction by the mechanism described the material will be projected between the forward cross-bar 58 of the roller frame and the stationary cross-bar 59 (and which latter bar, asstated, constitutes a blade that c0- operates with the knife 38) and at the in- Y stant that the segmental feed member has reached its forward limit the cam 66 will strike the roller on the free end of the arm 64 and byY forcing up the rod 67 cause la turning of the pivoted bars 68 so that their enlarged forward heads 71, which are in constant contact with the adjustable member of the roller frame, will cause such frame to swing forward so that its forward cross-bar 58 will clamp down upon and hold the material close to the line where the cutting is to be effected. Simultaneously with this clamping movement the roller 52 will be raised out of contact with the materialsuch raising being not only caused bythe rocking forward of the roller frame on its studs 55 but caused by a bodily upward movement of the roller frame due to its .turning on the forward edge of its crossslotted blocks 56 and such raising is highly' advantageous from two standpoints-iirst, it insures a very strong clamping action of vthev material between the parts 58 and 59,

and it makes certain that the roller litself is raised suliciently above the material to Y avoid any possible contact with it. The cam 66 is so shaped as to hold the parts in this Y position during the entire return movement clamping cross-bar 58 out of Contact with i the material and force the roller 52 intoA contact with the material. It will thus be seen that by reason of providing a single frame for carrying both the roller and theclamping member, and providing for rocking and bodily moving such frame at the times stated, these parts are so connected relatively to each other that when one is thrown into operative position the other one must instantly be thrown out of operative position, whereas when the clamping member and the roller-carrying .member-are separate devices there cannot-be that absolute certainty of coperation between'them that is so essential in rapidly cutting pieces from strips with all of such the same length.

he knife carrying frame 36 that is reciprocated up and down in the bearings 37 will be timed, of course, to operate immediately after the clamping down of the rollerframe member 58, and as such clamping member is raised the knife 38will have been forced up so thatv the material on its pieces of absolutely next forward movement can pass freely benism, a feed member for the material, means for imparting a forward and backward movement to said feed member, a-rocking frame mounted above'said feed member, roller rotatably mounted in said frame and adapted upon the forward movement-of the feed member to coperate therewith in Vmoving the material, a stationary device located beneath one end portion of the said frame, andineans for intermittently rocking said fiame to cause said roller to be moved away from the material being operated upon and simultaneously clamp such material between said end portion of the frame and said stationary device. Y

2. A machine for cutting pieces of predetermined length from a strip of material,V

comprising in combination, cutting mecha.- nism, a feed member for the material, means lli for imparting a forward and backwardv movement to said feed member, a rocking frame mounted above said feed member, a roller rotatably mounted in said frame and adapted upon the forward movement of' the feed member to coperate therewith in moving the material, a stationary device located beneath one end portion of the said frame,

means for intermittently rocking said frame to cause said roller to be moved away from the material being operated upon and simultaneously clamp such material between said end port-ion of the frame and said stationary device, and means tending to normally hold the roller in contact with the material.

A machine for cutting pieces of predetermined length from a strip of material, comprising in combination, cuttingv mechanism, an oscillatory segmental feed member, a rocking frame mounted above said feet member, a roller rotatably mounted in said rocking frame and adapted upon the forward movement of said feed member to cooperate therewith in moving the material, and means for intermittently rocking said frame to raise said roller away from the material and force a portion of the said frame into Contact with the material.

Il. A machine for cutting pieces of predetermined length from a strip of material, comprising in combination, cutting mechanism, any oscillatory segmental feed member,

' a rocking frame mounted above said feed member, a roller rotatably mounted in said rocking frame and adapted upon the for ward movement of said feed member to cooperate therewith in moving the material. and means for intermittently rocking said frame to raise said roller away from the material and for-ce a portion of the said frame into contact with the material, and thereafter further raising said frame by turning' it on the portion that has made contact with the material.

5. A machine for cutting pieces of predetermined length from a strip of material, comprising in combination, cutting mechanism, a feed member for imparting a forward and backward movement to said member, a frame mounted over said feed member and provided with a stud on each end, sletted supports in which said studs rest, a roller carried by said frame and cooperating with said feed member to move the material being operated upon when said feed member is movedforwardly, and means for rocking said frame to carry said roller away from the material and simultaneously causing a portion of the frame to be pressed against such material.

6. A machine for cutting pieces of predetermined length from a strip of material, comprising in combination, cutting mechaf nism, a feed member for imparting a forward and backward movement to said meniber, a frame mounted over said feed member and provided with a stud on each end, slotted supports in which said studs rest, a roller carried by said frame and cooperating with said feed member to move the material being operated upon when said feed member is moved forwardly, and means for rocking said frame and forcing the studs thereof upward in their said slotted supports to carry ber, means for swinging said member back! ward and forward, a rocking frame mounted over said feed member, a roller rotatably supported by said frame and adapted upon the forward movement of said member to coperate therewith in moving the material toward the cutting mechanism, means for intermittently rocking said frame to raise said roller away from the material and simultaneously force a portion of the frame against such material, and means for regulating the extent of movement of the roller-carrying fra-me.

8. A machine for cutting pieces of predetermined length from a strip of material, comprising in combination, cutting mechanism, an oscillatory segmental feed member, means for swinging said member backward and forward, a rocking frame mounted over said feed member, a roller rotatably supported by said frame and adapted upon the forward movement of said member to cooperate therewith in moving the material toward the cutting mechanism, and means for intermittently rocking said frame to raise said roller away from the material and simultaneously force a portion of the frame against such material, said means comprising a pivoted bar that is in contact with said frame, a longitudinally-movable rod connected with said bar and means for forcing said rod upward to swing said bar.

9. A machine for cutting pieces of predetermined length from a strip of material, comprising in combination, cutting mechanism, an oscillatory segmental feed member, means for swinging said member backward and forward, a rocking frame mounted over said feed member, an adjustable Contact device in said frame near one end thereof, a roller rotatably supported by said frame and adapted upon the forward movement of said member to coperate therewith in moving the material toward the cutting mechanism, and means for intermittently rocking said frame to raise said roller away from the material and simultaneously force a portion of the frame against such material, said means comprising a pivoted bar upon which said adjustable Contact device bears and means for turning said bar on its pivot to rock said roller-carrying frame.

l0. A machine for cutting pieces of predetermined length from a strip of material, comprising in combination, cutting mechanism, an oscillatory segmental feed member, means for swinging said member backward and forward, a rocking frame mountmeans for normally holding said frame turned to a position to cause an engagement of said roller with the material, and means for intermittently rocking the frame to raise said roller away from the material and simultaneously force a portion of the frame against the material, said means comprising a pivoted bar upon which the said contact device bears and means for turning said bar on its pivot to rock said roller-carrying frame.

ll. A vmachine for cutting pieces of, predetermined length from a strip of material, comprising in combination, cutting mechanism, an oscillatory segmental feed member, means for swinging said member backward-and forward, a rocking frame mount- 'ed over said feed member, a contact device nnear one end of said frame, a roller rotatably supported by said frame and adapted upon the forward movement of said feed memberto cooperate therewith in moving the material. toward the cutting mechanism, means for normally holding said frame f turned to a position to cause an engagement of said roller with the material, and means for intermittently rocking the frame to raise said roller away from the material and simultaneously force a portion of the frame against the material, said means comprising a pivoted bar upon which the said contact device' bears, a longitudinally-movable rod pivotally connected at its upper end with said bar, and means for moving said rod.

l2. A machine for cutting pieces of predeterininedlength from 'a strip of material, comprising in combination, cutting mechanism, an oscillatory segmental feed inem` ber, means for swinging said member backward and forward, a rocking frame mounted over said feed member, a Contact device near one end of said frame, a roller rotatably supported by said frame and adapted upon the forward movement of said feed member to coperate therewith in moving the material toward thecutting mechanism, means yfor 'normally holding said frame turned to a position to cause an engagement of said roller with the material, and means for intermittently rocking the frame to raise said roller away from the material and simultaneously force a-portion ofthe frame against the material, said means comprisingV a pivotedr bar upon which thesaid contact device bears, a VlongitudinallysmovableY rod pivotally connected atits upper end with said bar, apivoted arm connected with the lower end of said rod, and a cam for engaging andl rocking said arm.

`HAROLD BRowN. 

